So, as for “routine”, beds are made with a quick bedroom tidy up in the morning before lessons, we typically do a quick kitchen clean up (clean up from cooking, dishes etc…) after each meal, and of course your typical before bedtime clean up. However, we have a set “chore time” at 1:00 each day, right after lunch. I have come up with a “daily house cleaning” chore system:
Monday: baking
Tuesday: clean the kitchen (counters, cupboards, fridge, wipe down appliances etc)
Wednesday: floors (vacuum/mopping)
Thursday: dusting (all rooms)
Friday: clean the bathroom
Saturday: clean our entry
With us all working together it only takes 20-30 minutes, and is so much easier to break it down into small daily bits, rather than the “Oh my word somebody’s coming and now I have to clean the entire house!”
As for a chore chart/reward/incentive system, this is what I do for our 8 & 5 year old:
We use the Kenson Kids chore charts. We have one for each child. I bought an extra set of blank tiles to make our own as well. Now, we do tie some chores into their allowance, using this reward chart. So, what we do is give them 5-6 things on their chart to focus on for a week. Each day if they complete that item, they earn a star. On Sunday, for every star they have earned, they will be paid $0.10. This allows them to earn anywhere from $3-4 per week (approx.).
Now, I say some chores, because we have explained it to them this way: Mommy & Daddy have jobs that they have to do, for which they are paid. But we also have jobs we have to do, like cooking and cleaning, for which we don’t get paid. Because we are a family and love each other, we help each other with these jobs, and that gives us more time to spend together.
So… they have set things they have to do daily, for which there is “no reward”, for us these are: making their bed, putting away their laundry, keeping their room tidy, picking up their toys and helping during daily chore time. We expect them to do those things because they are a part of this family, and that is their way of helping us. However, like us, they also have “jobs” they have to do, for which they get paid. These are basically extra chores. So, for my son for this week, his extra jobs are to take care of supplying the wood for the fire (going to the basement and bringing up the firewood), clearing the table and emptying the dishwasher. For our daughter, her jobs are to feed our pets and set the table.
Now, we also add a couple “character” things onto the chart. Our daughter has ASD, and responds well to rewards-based methods. We’ve been trying to work on not screaming when she’s frustrated, so on her chart this week is “No screaming”. If she can get through a day without screaming at me in frustration (I do not hold full blown sensory or overload induced meltdowns against her), then she earns a star. Likewise, she struggles with some sleep issues thanks to years of insomnia, so we’re trying hard to work with her on staying in her bed all night. So, she also has one that says “Go to bed and stay in bed”, if she does this, she earns a star.
Our son, lately, seems to be forgetting the art of sharing with his sister, lol. So, his chart has a “Share your toys” reminder this week. He also seems to sometimes get a case of the “whines”, so there is a “No Whining” reminder. With anything character related, we discuss it in the context of the rules of the house, also as what God expects of us, and we certainly praise good behavior when we see it. But, I also think that sometimes a little extra reward for effort can be very meaningful to a child.
